Monday, February 13, 2006

In 2003, Howard Dean, an relatively unknown doctor turned politician was running what was thought to be a longshot candidacy for the Presidency. He turned to a new way of running campaigns raising small amounts of money through blogs on the internet. Suddenly ordinary people felt empowered and a full blown movement was started. For the first time since the tragedy of 9/11, stopping George Bush's reelection did not seem impossible.As you know Governor Dean did not capture our nomination and sadly we did not capture the White House or Congress. The Republicans have unchecked power but there is hope. As Chairman of the Democratic National committee, it is time for Governor Dean to lay his cards on the table.A series of events has turned the Bush administration into one of the most unpopular ever. The slow response to Katrina, the absurdity of continuing the Iraq war, and the embarrassing Cheney incident have put the GOP behind the 8 ball. Now is the time for Democrats to take back the Congress. We can begin to investigate whether we had cause to enter Iraq. We can come up with a plan to combat terrorism.If the Democrats cannot make significant gains, if we cannot empower our leaders, if we cannot come up with a clear message, it may be time for Governor Dean to return to Vermont.